Without You
by sgordon238
Summary: When Katniss is captured by the Capitol, Peeta is burdened with the role of Mockingjay. In the midst of a tedious battle for freedom breaking out between himself and the Capitol, District 13's own problems arise. Co-written by Take Life's Chances.
1. Chapter 1

**Peeta Mellark**

A huge explosion fills my eardrums. The arena is engulfed in flames. My mind is racing. Is this one of the Gamemaker's twisted tricks? Or is this Katniss and Beetee's plan?

I can't stand. My body aches all over and I wish it all to be over.

A hovercraft whirs above me, faster than light.

A bloodcurdling scream pierces the air.

"Katniss! No, Katniss!" As weak as I am, I'm up on my feet in a millisecond, racing towards the sound of sweet Katniss's voice, the voice that won me over in elementary school.

The voice that is gone. There's no hovercraft anywhere in sight, and no Katniss either. My beloved Katniss is nowhere to be seen.

I try to remember all the memories of Katniss I have.

The bread. I was ashamed because it was burnt and I couldn't give her good bread, because she deserved that.

The time when we were young, and she sang that song for our entire class. Her voice was a beautiful symphony of notes, like leaves fluttering to the ground in the autumn wind.

Our first Hunger Games. She hated me at first. She threw an urn at me because she thought I was going to betray her. I never gave up, though.

Creating Katniss's plant book with her. Drawing to the best of my knowledge what a certain plant looked like, then having Katniss give the description.

Painting her sleeping. She had the face of an angel, and I loved it to death, especially when it wasn't in a grimace.

Our picnic in the rooftop garden. I think that was when Katniss finally trusted me. That day was so romantic. I still think of it as the best day of my life.

My knees buckle as I fall to the ground weeping. The Hunger Games finally tore my life apart.

I'm sure I sat there bawling for hours, but it must've been mere minutes because a hovercraft appeared above me and dropped a ladder. I didn't grab on.

If Katniss was going to die, what did I have to live for? Mentoring death-condemned kids for the rest of my life? I don't think so. She was designed for me. I can't live without her.

Closing my eyes softly, I think,

_Did you hear that Katniss, sweetie, wherever you are? I can't live without you._

**Katniss Everdeen **

An explosion shakes the arena, knocking me from my feet and onto my knees. Walls of towering flames are in every direction, surrounding Johanna and I in the midst of it all.

Something isn't right, this isn't Beetee's plan.

A sudden realization hits me like a ton of bricks.

_The Capitol. _

My eyes search the sky wildly as I push myself off the ground, almost falling back over in the process. My mind is spinning, frantically trying to piece everything together.

_My name is Katniss Everdeen, I am 17 years old, I am a tribute in the 75th Hunger Games along with Peeta Mellark, We- _

"Peeta…" I breathe, my eyes widening. How could I have forgotten about him? "Peeta…"

No, I can't let the Capitol take him. I won't let it happen.

My feet start to move on instinct, running to where Peeta, Finnick, and Beetee were last time I saw them.

Johanna calls to me frantically.

I turn to her, only to see a hovercraft appear above us, the clear symbol of the Capitol marked on the side.

My feet freeze in place, unable to move even after my multiple failed attempts.

An ear-piercing scream tears through the air.

I whip my head around; looking for the source, before realizing the scream came from my own lips.

"Katniss! No, Katniss!" Peeta screams, his voice pained.

I want to call out to him, but my lips don't feel attached to my body. They won't form the words I want to scream out so badly.

Johanna's eyes lock with mine and for the first time I see utter fear in her dark brown eyes.

We can't run, we can't scream.

Suddenly two large arms extend from the hovercraft, the claws grabbing Johanna and I before yanking us into the air.

My stomach drops and fear fills every part of my brain. Fear not for myself, but for everyone I love and care about. What will happen to them?

My final thought before darkness takes over my senses is,

_What will happen to Peeta? _


	2. Undergoing Drama

**Finnick Odair**

If you undergo a traumatic incident, all of a sudden everyone thinks you're some kind of crazy lunatic or crazy superhero. Well, guess I'd fall into the former category.

Then, when that happens, of course the bozos in charge send you off to rehab without a second thought. Oh- did I say rehab? I meant therapy. It feels more like rehab.

But Annie's here. That's all that matters. She's safe, and I'd go to a million therapy sessions for her safety and happiness.

My therapist is a creep. He's a complete loser who's never been with a girl and would be a complete womanizer if he was actually attractive.

But he's not.

A little birdie told me his real name was Chester, but he insists it's Flint now. Chester's got muddy brown hair with gray sprouting up in odd places, a funky bald spot in the back of his head, a blue mouth piercing, and a crinkly face from squinting too much.

"So," he says, his lip ring wobbling to and fro. I grimace at him and stay quiet.

"I think we need to talk about your love life, Fannack." Chess Chester calls me- wait, did I just say Chess Chester? Great nickname, me. For short, let's call him Pawn.

Anyways, Pawn always calls me Fannack, only the way he says it, it sounds like Fanatic. He doesn't really mean to- he just sincerely doesn't know my name.

Plus, the guy pretends I've got a problem socializing with females just so he can listen to my love life. Which- oh yeah- is perfectly fine and not like the boisterous stories I tell him to make him happy. Pawn knows less than half the truth about my life. Pressing on, he says,

"Who have you interacted with since our last session?" Slow and clear, as if he were talking to a little kid.

Oh yeah. I just remembered- I'm _not_ one of those.

"And I mean _females_, Fannack." As tired as I am- I only got here about 2 weeks ago and I haven't been able to get an ounce of sleep- I conjure a wild tale for Pawn up in my head.

"On Tuesday, I said hi to Dyess and she said hi back. Then I walked away because she smelled like man." Inside, I giggled- no, chuckled. A more manlier word.

"On Wednesday, Michelle and Cleo came up to me and murmured a giggly greeting. Then they started kissing, _right there in front of me_! I was like, Eew!" Chuckle chuckle chuckle. Chester Chester Chester.

"Finally, yesterday, I made a move on Diana- the curvy one. I said to her, 'Is something on fire? Or are you just smokin' hot?' and she laughed and invited me to her room and that night we-we did it. I romped her all through the night."

Then I shut up, real Finnick again. Sad that the fantastical story of Diana was over, Pawny droned on.

"Well, how has the medicine been working?" he said monotonously.

"Oh, great! What I don't understand is why they couldn't pack the medicine into one or two pills instead of 12." I said with an innocent smirk. It was so much fun manipulating Crinkle Face. I watched his face go bright red, his slacker smile droop.

"_You… do… take... 2… pills… not… 12!_"

And I swear, I literally swear, steam came out of the man's ears. Chester got so mad that he started swearing at me in what may have been Latin, but he was screaming so fast it sounded more like a dying goat bawking out gibberish.

It was absolutely hilarious.

**Delly Cartwright **

_"What about you, Papa?" I scream to my father, my eyes watering. I'm not sure if it's from the smoke or because I'm crying. Probably both. _

_Sirens are echoing throughout the district, mixed with people's terrified screams and pleas for help. People pleading for their lives._

_His eyes are filled with sadness and I think I see a tear trickle down his pale cheek. He rushes over to my brother and I, enveloping us in a tight hug before pulling away and looking into both our eyes._

_"Delly, Giovanni, your mother, and I love you very much, never forget that. Take care of each other, protect each other. Now go!" he says, pushing us out the door and running back inside._

_Giovanni grabs my hand and starts running, pulling me along._

_That's when the next wave of bombs hit._

"Delly! Delly!" My eyes immediately pop open to reveal the worried face of my 15-year old brother, Giovanni. His wavy blonde hair is a mess, falling into his clear blue eyes.

I take a moment to settle my breathing before sitting up on the simple gray bed, my hands shaking. Giovanni's face relaxes slightly before he grabs my small, pale hands in his large ones. "What was it?" He asks, looking into my eyes, of which I could see my own reflection.

My hair is a stringy mess, falling just below my shoulders. My blue eyes are filled with nothing, not a single ounce of emotion, and surrounded by dark purple bruises from my lack of sleep. My cheeks are slightly hollowed in. To say the least, I was a huge mess.

"The bombing… Papa…" I mutter, my gaze averting from his face to the shiny white floor of our room. Giovanni puts his hand under my chin, lifting my head so I'm looking at him.

"It's okay Delly, everything's going to be fine. I know it's painful now, but Mama and Papa wanted us to live, to enjoy our lives." He says, taking his hand away from my face.

I shake my head, tears threatening to spill out of my eyes. "How is everything going to be okay? How can we enjoy our lives when they're dead?" I say, my eyes searching his face. "I wish I died with them."

Giovanni's clear blue eyes are suddenly clouded with pain and his features fill with disbelief. "I can't believe how selfish you're being… Did you ever think about the people that love you? Me, Peeta, Deanna, Greasy Sae, Harlow? The damn list goes on! And all you can wish is that you were dead? Did you ever think about how we would feel if you died?" he quietly yells.

"I… I… nev-" I sputter out, but Giovanni interrupts me.

"No, no you didn't! Of course you didn't…" he says, getting up from my bed, which causes it to creak, and going to his dresser, throwing open the doors and making them hit the wall with a loud _thump_.

"Where are you going?" I ask as he slips on his mandatory gray District 13 uniform and slams the doors closed again.

He doesn't say anything, doesn't look at me, just walks out of the room and slams the door closed.

My head hangs low as I grab my tray of… whatever this green stuff is on my tray. My blonde hair is almost falling into it so I lift my gaze slightly only to find Peeta sitting alone at one of the white cafeteria tables, staring into space.

I slowly make my way over to the table, the talking forming a constant buzz around me. The talking around me seems to be taunting me, as I catch small parts of one conversation. "To blame", "Her fault", and "Selfish" are what come up.

I sigh as I sit across from Peeta, who seems to be looking right through me with his clear blue eyes, which are filled with no emotion at all. I'm guessing that's pretty much what I look like, from what I saw earlier.

"Peeta…?" I say, waving my hand in front of his face. When he doesn't move I touch his hand and he shakes his head, seeming to come back to reality.

"Oh, Delly! When'd you get here?" he asks, trying to form a smile on his lips but failing. I give him a sympathetic smile, knowing he misses Katniss dearly. He doesn't even know if she's alive.

"Just a minute ago." I say, and pick up my fork, pushing the green stuff around the tray. "How are you?" I finally ask, looking into Peeta's blue eyes.

He sighs before putting his face into his hands. "I feel like my heart has been ripped out of my chest and been through a paper shredder. I just feel… empty… alone… like I'm missing a part of myself. I keep hoping that she's alive but even if she is, I know she's being tortured and put through pain because of me." He says, taking away his hands to reveal tears streaming down his face.

I absentmindedly grab his hands across the table before looking into his eyes. "Peeta… it's okay. I'm here for you. Same with Finnick, Beetee, Annie, Haymitch, and many others. We'll fight, Peeta, we're going to fight to get Katniss back. We're going to fight for our freedom. Everything will be alright." Tears stream down my face as I squeeze Peeta's hands gently. "Everything will be alright." I choke out, more for myself than for Peeta, for now I fully understand what Giovanni meant earlier.

I let go of Peeta's hands and wipe away the tears that were flowing freely from my eyes a few seconds ago. "Peeta, I'll be right back. I have to do something quickly." I say and he nods, picking up his fork.

"Thank you." He says softly, looking straight into my eyes, which now are filled with hope. I nod, giving him a small smile.

Getting up, I see Giovanni in the lineup waiting to get his food; his face filled with sadness and pain.

I immediately break into a run before running into his arms. He wraps his arms around my shoulders, tears flowing freely out of my eyes again, as he rubs comforting circles on my back.

All I manage to sputter out is, "Everything is going to be okay, we're going to be okay".

A/N Alrighty, wasn't that an interesting mix of emotions? Anyways, we forgot to mention it last chapter, but I wrote Peeta's passage and Take Life's Chances wrote for Katniss. This chapter, I wrote Peeta and she wrote Delly. Sometimes I almost take her amazing writing skill for granted.


	3. Us?

Johanna Mason

The. Capitol. Stole. Us. Katniss, me, Enobaria… we're screwed. Every night I listen to Katniss' wails… and I think about my sister… but I think she's long gone now. Everyone's gone, I tell myself. Everyone's been gone for a while. It's comforting, knowing that my being here isn't hurting anyone. No one is suffering because of my current situation. But Katniss… it's torture listening to her every night, bawling, bawling for Peeta, Prim, and Mom… anyone she knows. All I can make out sometimes is '!' and it can really be torture.

Enough about Katniss. She's beginning to tick me off, but at the same time I know her pain, feel for her, which only brings me closer to her.

Enobaria is crazy. Stark Raving Mad. She enjoys screaming and gripping at the bars of these "cages" we're being held in. I know she tries to do it in secrecy, but she has a habit of gnawing on her knuckles, and it's impossible not to see the blood stains on her knuckles, even though the disgusting part is that she licks it up afterwards. In fact, I even saw her nibbling on the bars of her cage once.

Enobaria has her own cell. Guess the Capitol figured out what a danger she is, so she's across from us. Us. Meaning Katniss and I. We're kind of stranded, but I hear other whimpers throughout the day and I know there are more people than us in here. Who'd have guessed?

The cells are bare, with a rusty, grimy, metal toilet and a simple bed frame with threadbare sheets and no pillows. Nothing else. We're underground. I know this because a. we had to go down a couple flights of stairs, though blindfolded to get here, b. because it's always very dimly lit, and c. there are no windows.

They're starving us. I know it, because I can stick my hands completely around my middle. Completely; no gaps at all. No one should be able to do that. That's disgusting. Katniss can do it too. We tried it one day, out of pure boredom. It freaked both of us out.

The lack of food is slowly beating us up. Our cells aren't getting the protein they need, so our skin has inhabited a yellowish tint and I'm bruising so easily. I'll literally brush my hand against the bed and wake up to find a large blackish-purple spot on my palm. I can't even sit anymore because I get such horrible bruises on my butt.

The broadcasts are even worse. I don't have to be in them, only have to watch, but I can't imagine what it's like for Katniss. Having to address your loved one directly with your hair falling out on the spot, while knowing you can never get to them. Like I said before, I can really feel for her.

THE. CAPITOL. IS. TORTURE.

**Buttercup**

My eyes wander, scanning the dimly lit area around me.

Meowing, I nudge a red material with my nose before something crawls out from underneath it and scurries away.

I jump back, hissing and arching my back.

After a few moments, the world is silent around me again.

Meowing again, I head towards my home where the girl with the grey eyes and braid always has food for me.

Once I reach the place where my home sits, I wail.

Instead of my home is a pile of debris.

Cautiously I make my way over; soft meows coming out of my mouth.

Again, I nudge the material and debris with my nose but the only sound is something moving to the side.

I carefully walk around the perimeter, sniffing everything every once and a while but get no sign of the girl with grey eyes and braid.

I hiss, angered at the girl.

She is always here, and now she's not.

Again, I make my way over to Prim's new house; which I despise.

The memory of Prim fills my head, and my whole world brightens at the thought until I reach the new house.

My eyes scan the house until I find an open window on the first floor.

I easily jump up and enter the house, the faint smell of food still in the air.

Something's off though, something doesn't feel right.

I slowly make my way over to the big room up front with couches and a big screen.

Finally it clicks.

_It's empty. _

The whole house is empty, with not a soul in it.

But if my home is gone and Prim isn't here, then where is she?

I meow, like I did when I was a kitten, looking around the dark room.

Shadows are cast across the walls and floor, making me feel unsecure without Prim by my side.

When it was dark Prim would always comfort me; she knows I don't like to be alone at night.

I wail, blinking my eyes and thinking back to when I was a kitten and so vulnerable.

Prim, save me.

Girl with the braid and grey eyes, save me.

Boy that hangs out with grey eyes, save me.

Prim's mom, save me.

Someone, save me.

A/N: So thank you guys so much for staying with this story or joining it in the first place! It really means so much to us! Anyways, Take Life's Chances wrote Buttercup's POV and I wrote Johanna. Hope you guys like!


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